Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria was appointed the new chief of Indian Air Force on Thursday, said the Ministry of Defence. He is the vice chief of air staff at present and will take charge of the Air Force on September 30 after BS Dhanoa retires, India Today reported.
Bhadauria was reportedly supposed to retire the same day as Dhanoa but will now serve a three-year term, or till he is 62 years old. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy in Pune and has more than 4,250 hours of flying time. He has the experience of flying 26 different types of fighter jets.
Bhadauria served as the commander-in-chief of the Southern Air Command from March 2017 to August 2018. He held the post till May, when he assumed the role of vice chief of air staff.
The air marshal was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force in June 1980 and has helmed command, staff and instructional posts at various levels, according to Hindustan Times.
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